


Gods do not worry

by Elhadeur



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: M/M, Romance, somewhat ooc, unbetaed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 10:13:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12230799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elhadeur/pseuds/Elhadeur
Summary: His methods can be odd but The Outsider does his best to keep Corvo around in His own way.---Dishonored Kink Meme Prompt Fill





	Gods do not worry

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: https://dishonored-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/446.html?thread=497598#cmt497598
> 
> Outsider worries about older Corvo (in a very Outsider way).  
> I saw concept art of Corvo from Dishonored 2, and I thought, what if the Outsider thought he wants to keep Corvo around for a long time yet, and decided to help him... in a very Outsider way.
> 
> Like, making sure every food item Corvo finds is healty. No more pies and jello, it's all carrots and heart-friendly turkey breast. 
> 
> Every book he finds is about healthy eating and keeping fit past middle age, or suggestions for good retirement spots.
> 
> The charms he finds have some... unusual powers. Like 'jumping between roofs no longer strains your joints'. Or 'you get extra vitamins from every carrot you consume'.
> 
> Generally, Outsider trying to be helpful but failing miserably. Corvo may or may not find it endearing anyway.
> 
> Can be romance or gen, I love both :)

It all starts when Corvo takes a little longer to recover from a nasty landing after jumping to the last rooftop. For his years, he’s still fit than most men half his age but his time (despite how much control he does have) will not stop for forever.

He spends a little bit more time stretching to prevent pulling a muscle before he makes his way downstairs. Following the heart’s rapid thumping, Corvo finds a black bonecharm hidden in an abandoned physician’s office, behind the broken frame of a medical certificate; its wispy crackling song beckons him closer.

He picks it up, mindful of the shattered glass, and its blurred words sharpen their edges in his mind.

_-Reduces joint strain and improves flexibility-_

‘An odd charm,’ Corvo thinks as he turns the charm over in his hands, thumbing over the zig-zag pattern of the movement sigil in the polished bone. As he pockets the bonecharm with the others in his pocket, Corvo feels a cool sensation pulse throughout his body.

He feels refreshed.

He squats a few times, feels how his knees don’t have that slight ache and thinks. Corvo looks from the balcony that he’s on, to the next balcony. With a grin, Corvo backs up from the railing and stretches his legs as high as he can go and relishes in feeling young again before he sprints to the railing and steps onto it before launching himself off and blinks at just the right time to catch the ledge of the railing on the other side.

It’s not a jump he would have chanced without his newly found charm and the exhilaration is a small joy, a hope that reignites in his chest. He rests his hand over the charm in his pocket and thinks, ‘Thank you.’

He jumps off to find his way to Addermire Station, re-energized.

A shadow emerges from the office to the balcony. The Outsider finds Himself frowning at Corvo’s newfound recklessness. It’s not what He had intended nor expected and that thought causes Him to feel something He does not want to admit as worry.

Still, Corvo’s grin as he made the jump leaves a slight purple dusting on his cheeks. He knows that His gift will be well used.

 

* * *

  

Despite Corvo’s dislike of jellied eels and potted whale meat, these are the foods he eats the most. They are easily found and non-perishable. He occasionally finds fruit as he should but most of it is as rotten as the man leeching from Serkonos. It saddens him to see how Duke Luca Abele has been draining the coin from his people into his overflowing pockets. There’s so much wasted potential in the Duke's frivolous spending and it pains Corvo to see the people of his homeland being sucked dry for this greedy pig of a man. He’ll try to find a better solution to Duke Abele, almost anyone would be better.

His dislike grows as the tin of jellied eels in his hand refuses to open, the only food he’s found in this refuge of a rundown suite. Annoyed by this tin’s refusal to grant him food and the hunger that claws at his stomach, Corvo reaches far back for his sword only to feel the smooth skin of a plantain and some figs sitting innocently beside his sword.

He must be more tired than he thought to have missed the perfectly fine fruits on the table. It means that the inhabitants before him must have recently left. It also means he’ll have to go find another place to settle in for the night because he doesn’t want to risk an ambush while asleep.

He eats the plantain in large bites while preparing his items to go out for another shelter. Corvo leaves the figs behind for whoever intends to come back but the tin of eel, he pockets in his coat.

He needs the rest but the thought of being ambushed by anyone potentially dangerous keeps him up as he exits from the apartment.

The Outsider reappears sitting on the table beside the figs. Corvo needs to eat more healthily. With all the preserved food he eats, He wouldn’t be surprised if Corvo would end up buried in a tin coffin.

Maybe if He’d left the dark bread instead of fresh fruits, then maybe Corvo would stay to rest and have to deal with Kirin Jindosh on barely any sleep and not much energy.

He’s sure that the delivery of the fruits and vegetables come in time to the Clockwork Mansion in the early morning so by the time Corvo reaches most of the day’s food would have been _just_ finished.

To save Sokolov, He knows, Corvo won’t delay.

The Outsider dissipates back into the void and the figs wither away as sadly as the sigh they followed.

 

* * *

 

There is a trend forming, Corvo notices. The bonecharm in his hand sings to him and the words form, _You absorb more minerals and vitamins from vegetables,_ which somehow feels like an afterthought to the charm he had found earlier.

That bonecharm gave him ‘ _an increased chance of finding superfoods’_. And as he was pondering on what a ‘superfood’ is, he turns the corner and finds Wei-Ghonian Kale on ice with a letter in a barely legible script recommending a recipe for sautéed greens.

The ridiculousness of this harmless dark green vegetable’s appearance in the home of an aristocrat who had ‘ _just left_ ’ had reached a level where Corvo can’t stop laughing at the sight of it. He figures why the void not, he’s not in a rush right now and there’s Morley onions and Serkonan garlic ready and waiting.  For this break, in a kitchen that looks as clean as the one that was at the Tower, he’ll try to sauté some greens for an added boost. There are many spices that line the cupboard and he even finds extra virgin olive oil from Saggunto.

He can afford a little luxury tonight.

Barely a tilt of the lips appears on the Outsider’s mouth when he hears Corvo’s laughter bubbling up like the bottle of sparking juice he just opened.

(A faint blush spread across His cheeks when He hears Corvo’s thoughts about the food’s appearance but the warmth only grows when Corvo kisses his mark in thanks with slightly oily, shiny and pink lips. The kiss makes the Outsider shiver in what He thinks could be called delight.)

 

* * *

 

The Royal Conservatory is certainly a wealth of knowledge but all the books he’s been finding so far have been retirement related. Apparently, the whale-viewing in Tyvia is accompanied by the spray of refreshing cool air, large and majestic glaciers in the waters and supposedly the clear night skies have colourful lights dancing in the sky. It sounds very appealing but Corvo wouldn’t be able to manage the cold for too long in his old age. He’s got Serkonan blood in him and it’s full of heat and sand and salt.

However, after burning out Breanna’s connection to the Void and the Oracular Sisters, a vacation sounds heavenly. He lifts up the unconscious witch from in front of the bookshelf he’s about to search though and rests her on the carpet in the walkway as carefully as he can before going back. The first book he chances on is ‘ _Keeping Fit After Fifty’._ The one right beside it is titled, ‘ _Staying Young While Aging’._  Corvo feels a little self-conscious as he feels a slight give around his hips. He looks away from those innocently titled books. He’s still fitter than most men his age and many younger anyways.

He checks another bookshelf feeling less targeted as he skims over the new set of titles. Another book catches his eye so he starts to scan through. ‘ _Retirement Destinations in Serkonos_.’

_Karnaca, "The Jewel of the South at the Edge of the World", is the top destination for the many who can afford it as it’s the most developed city in Serkonos. Its rustic charm is enhanced by the spiced foods from the multi-cultural population eaten with a view of the shimmering blue-green sea and the majestic Shindaerey Peak overlooking Karnaca Bay. The food, the land, the culture and the people are rich here in Karnaca…_

_Bastillian, “The Drunken Haven”, is the destination for those who love to drink and love to fight as it’s the main producer of the Rivera Fig Wine and the host of the yearly Bastillian Boxing Tournament. The people here are known to be rowdy but there is a unanimous love of the alcohol, fighting and fruit here. Bastillian is where the rum and wine flow in the veins of these hot-blooded people…_

_Cullero, “The City of Smoke and Sun”, is the destination for those that love the kiss of the sun and the quality cigars made here. It’s also a destination for those interested in the history of Serkonos, one example is of Edithia Abele, who dedicated her life to clearing the Culleran marshes of the raiders that used to terrorize the city and its surrounding towns. Truly a destination for those that enjoy learning about the rich history of Serkonos and those that enjoy smoking a well-made cigar while relaxing on the sunny sands here…_

_Saggunto, “The Winding City”, is the destination for those that love to explore and lose themselves in the rustic architecture and the smell of fresh breads. This city has many gorgeous and complex bridges that lead one to sometimes an unexpected but not unwelcome destination; bridges, which were built by Rabinos Abele himself. The breads however, range between the softest of buns to the crisp flatbreads and have become a staple food in Serkonos. Saggunto is the destination for the aimless explorer fed by the freshest of foods..._

And Corvo is tempted, very tempted, when he thinks more about retiring on the homeland that he’s always wanted to explore since he had left for Dunwall and he misses the heat of the sun, the food, and the people. But, the duty he has to Jessamine and to Emily keeps him grounded in Dunwall. (When he became Royal Protector, he stayed only for Jessamine. Later on when he became a father, he stayed for Emily too.)

Instead, he moves to another section and looks for a book on bread and carefully tears out a page of a Saggunto bread recipe closest to what he can remember of his mother’s bread. He folds it neatly and places it in the pocket closest to the Heart. A pang of nostalgia hits him with scents of freshly baked bread. When he rescues Emily, he’ll bake this for her like his mother did for him and Beatrici.

\---

Stepping out into the streets of Cyria Gardens, Corvo wonders if Gods do eat.

The Heart in his coat whispers softly into Corvo’s chest, _“If you only offered it.”_ But it seems that Corvo had not heard over the buzz of the wall of light.

 

* * *

 

After the briefing, Meagan stops at the kitchen door.

“Corvo, have you been going out shopping?”

The bodyguard turns to her, a curious look on his face.

“No, I have not. Why?”

She leans against the doorframe to the small kitchen and waves for him to come over and see. Corvo has an inkling of a feeling of what he might see but the sight still surprises him. Along the length of the counter, there are bags of fresh fruit and vegetables and cuts of fresh meats and preserved meats wrapped up in wax paper.

“I’ve asked Anton about it but he’s told me that he hasn’t even left the boat. Still, where did all this food come from?”

“It could be a parting gift from Dr. Hypatia.”

Corvo very well _knows who_ it’s from but he won’t say. Corvo feels the blush betraying his words and hopes Meagan doesn’t notice in the darkness of the cabin.

“This food _does_ looks fresh and I can confirm that none of it is poisoned either. The doctor is too kind.”

Meagan pushes off the doorframe and picks up the greenest Morley apple. There’s a shine to it and she bites into the tart-sweet fruit with a satisfying crunch.

“Hmm, let’s not let it go to waste. I’ll meet you on the skiff when you’re ready.”

 

* * *

 

The Dust District wasn’t always like this. Corvo remembers these streets of Batista no matter how much the buildings may change. This place was his home once a long time ago, right up till when he just finished his second year in the Grand Serkonan Guard and Duke Theodanis Abele sent him away to serve as a gift to Emperor Euhorn Kaldwin.

He sneaks past the overseers and jumps onto the ledge before breaking the boards into his old apartment. The hissing of a bonecharm resting on the couch welcomes him home. The Heart, her heart, exudes a warmth, a small comfort the only way she could.

There’s some plant overgrowth and the greenery gives it a little life. He walks to his mother’s room and finds the last page of her diary, her tears blurred the faded grey ink of her words. He feels a guilt rise in him. His mother, his dear mother, he left, his sister’s gone, and his first love is dead, dead, dead and there’s nothing he can do to change it.

His chest feels heavy and he has to take off the mask from the stuffiness. He left the only family he had here and couldn’t even go to her funeral when he learnt that she passed away only a few weeks after he left. He doesn’t even know where her grave is if she was buried in one. It’s only now Corvo realises that she had missed him so much that she let herself waste away and he thinks he should’ve asked the Duke and the Emperor to let his mother come with him.

‘I wonder if ....’

Corvo walks around the apartment and sees loose bricks in the wall of his old bedroom. He pulls them out and takes out the whalebone and the Blade Verbena trophy that he left for his mother. It’s still safe and not as ravaged by time as the rest of his old apartment. An exhaustion comes over him as he spots the couch by the ingrown tree and he brushes off as much dust as he can from it. He picks up the bonecharm and the cooling sensation offers him a little relief.

_-You feel more rested after sleeping straight on your back-_

Even though these bonecharms have been strangely health–related, he can feel the Outsider’s concern showing in the odd way he does but he’s thankful for it. He thinks he could do with some rest after lugging around Paolo and Byrne to the silvograph studio and after finding his mother’s diary.

He lies down on the couch, straightens his back and closes his eyes. Corvo feels the sand-polished bone of the charm and rests his hand on his chest before getting some rest.

He thinks he sees the Outsider right above him, thinks he feels bony fingers card through his hair, thinks he’s already asleep.

“Sleep well, dear Corvo.”

With a tired sad smile, the Marked nods in thanks and closes his eyes. Exhaustion takes over and Corvo falls into a deep, deep sleep.

The Outsider stays with him, providing this small comfort where He can, studying the face of this mortal man that has fascinated Him the most in all the millennia He remembers and allows Himself one more touch from the stubble of his jawline across a scarred and wrinkled cheek and smooths out the wrinkle that forms in between His Marked’s eyebrows with His thumb.  The Outsider dissipates with a press of His lips on Corvo’s forehead right before he wakes up.

 

* * *

 

Much to the Outsider’s amusement, Corvo does not realize that every time he goes through time, he appears in the void for just a blink.

Corvo’s always kept His interest one way or another, whether it be the cold, silent burn of revenge when his Empress was murdered and his daughter taken, or the dedication to stay true to himself from then to now, never spilling blood unless it was his own or when watching Corvo’s poses as he blinks in and out of the void in a sprint or slide or crouch, surprise in his eyes when a guard trips over him before he blinks back into the present.

His dear Corvo, always fascinating, always His favourite from the bright fire of his birth.

 

* * *

 

There’s a dreary feeling and Corvo doesn’t like it. From the moment Jessamine’s spirit tells him that it’s her last night, he can’t help but feel panic and sadness. He has a duty to Dunwall, to Emily, but he misses Jessamine and that ache does not simply go away. He pulls the Heart out of his coat out again, just to listen to her voice.

_You want me to point the way. Help you onto a path._

_No... Let us be lost together for a moment…_

So Corvo blinks to the highest rooftop with her Heart in his hands and watches the view for a little while longer. It thumps slowly in his hands and sends out slightly warm pulses. Her Heart sighs at the sunset and Corvo can almost imagine he’s holding her hand as she sits beside him resting her head on his shoulder. They watch the sun disappear under the horizon and Corvo knows he can’t delay any longer.

_You must allow yourself to move on after I am gone. You must allow yourself peace._

\---

The Outsider watches the both of them and He is reminded how in Corvo’s heart, there’s really only Jessamine and Emily and the thought hits him with a pang of jealousy. He wants to find a spot for himself there and inhabit it. He understands that to Corvo, Jessamine and Emily first but for the Outsider, for the first time, he doesn’t mind being second. Instead he leaves a bonecharm on a rooftop further down but inaccessible to any other person but Corvo, a charm made by an unfortunate widow a thousand years ago. He knows Corvo will need this after tonight.

_-Hold it close to your heart to ease the ache-_

After the Outsider dissipates, her Heart tells Corvo one more thing before he moves out to deal with the remnant of Delilah’s spirit.

_My love, remember that I know exactly who you are, and that I treasure you…_

 

* * *

 

The Outsider rarely appears to the other Marked outside of shrines and dreams and yet He appears with a chill accompanying Him while Corvo sits on the frame of the window of his office, looking out at the night sky and the dark waters below. It is strange, the way how easy it is to reach from the Void to Corvo, even when he has no runes on him. To reach out to Corvo is easier than reaching out to a shrine. Appearing in a shrine is like a second thought, appearing to Corvo is like second nature and He wonders why.

Corvo turns to Him, taking in the Outsider’s pale skin blooming with moonlight. He hovers over to sit next to him, His cool thigh touches the warm muscle of Corvo’s.

“It’s not like You to appear if I don’t find a shrine.” And it’s true. After Delilah’s fall, the Outsider’s visits has lessened in frequency, only a few weeks since the last.

“I wanted to see you tonight Corvo, reaching out to you is easier than you finding a shrine to reach out to Me.”

“But can’t you see into the beyond like you can see into the past?” The Outsider leans his head on Corvo’s shoulder, slowly but ever so surely shortening the distance between them.

“Your time is one of the very few that I cannot predict. I have seen your many futures but in the end, it’s all on the choices you make when you do.”

“I see.” This is information that the Outsider does not give out to anyone and with how casually He mentions how unpredictable Corvo can be, he’s taken aback. Corvo feels something swirl in his chest, a sense of freedom, a realization of sorts and waves of affection wash over him. Gratitude is what he wants to show however. (Despite how the affection grows at the thought of the Outsider resting on him, Corvo wants to lean on him too.

So he does.)

“I want to thank you, for the mark and the charms, as odd as some were. I could almost say it was your way of worrying about me.”

The Outsider does not visibly bristle at this but He does not look away from the inky black sea.

“Gods do not worry Corvo.”

“Do Gods lie too?”

The Outsider turns His black-eyed stare to Corvo who has a somewhat playful smirk, sees the bags under his eyes made heavier from the coup, the creases on his face from the age, the silver stubble glitters and He sees the light in Corvo’s eyes when he looks at Him. The Outsider realizes the feeling that had only grown since the spark of Corvo’s birth. A warmth that no other of His Marked has ever made Him _feel_.

To speak of this want, the same want that He’s seen in others has killed many and birthed more and has caused empires to rise and fall, would be almost beyond the belief so so many. And yet, to His surprise, He finds himself wanting more _._

“Your final destination I cannot see Corvo. I’ve seen your birth and the years that followed but I cannot see the true end. I’ve watched your possible deaths happen after you’ve made your choice. “ His voice trails off into a more serious tone, one that Corvo is curious about.

“And possibilities were those?”

Silence ensues as the Outsider looks to the sea. Black and deep, scattered with reflected starlight, all consuming like the void in which he resides.

“Grim Alex had you splayed on a gurney, organs half-eaten as she’s sucking the marrow from your red femurs.

“Jindosh used your heart to make an improved version of Piero’s creation, which inevitably force you to suffer Jindosh dissecting you and stitching you back together. No secret you had then would he not be privy to.

“Ashworth took your bones and created powerful black bonecharms in the form of jewellery for her mistress and your power within them would have helped Delilah conquer the Isles and beyond.

“Luca Abele would have you hanged at his gates and made a spectacle of your defeat. His guests would be more than welcome to desecrate your body as they use you for a symbol for any resistance against Delilah.

“Delilah, in _The World As It Should Be_ , took the skull from your head after her victory and used it to create a Corrupted Rune. You became akin to her gravehounds, your soul trapped in an undying body forever watching as you followed Delilah’s orders, becoming _her Royal Protector_ , and helped her completely obliterate any resistance. You’d watch her release Emily from her stone prison and slowly brainwash her into loving her like a mother.

“Delilah would have come for me in the void and you would strike me down. Her hand would take yours and your eyes would have been more awake than ever before to watch her force your sword through the scar of the same cut eons ago.

“The blood would run out and I would have become undone and you would forever watch over her. Watch the light fade from Emily’s eyes as she lost more and more of herself. Forever enduring the pain of protecting the woman you hate the most as she takes away everything you’ve loved and destroys it.”

The admission stuns Corvo. So many things that could have gone wrong but it’s done now. His adversaries had been dealt with in appropriate manners and the Empire is heading towards a better age. All he’d wanted to do was keep his friends and family safe. Emily had been restored her birth right and his allies live to see another day. He would not have to watch the Outsider become no more. He would not be the one to unmake the Outsider.

“Dear Corvo, seeing you now, knowing the choices you could have made, knowing the ones you did, I am.. always on the cusp of surprise. You live when so much is against you and act with honour unbefitting of a betrayed man. You’ve always managed to survive under the worst conditions and yet, here you are in the Tower again where you could be living in the lap of luxury and glut. So many would have complied with your whims but instead you are satisfied with what is given to you, with this. You could have become Duke Corvo Attano of Serkonos or Emperor Corvo Attano of the Isles, first of his name.”

“Instead, in the comfort of my den, knowing the most important people in my life currently are alive and safe, and I’m here, content.”

“But that leaves me to deal with your absence after your time. I do not know how I will when you are gone. This is why there has been more charms and such for your health Corvo. I do not wish to see your life burnt out, like the multiple possibilities you had before. Not yet.”

This implies so much more than what he had expected and it gives him hope. Small waves of affection swell and crash onto his shore and leave whale-song echoes and bone and deep blue cloth.

Corvo takes the Outsider’s hand within his own marked one and loosens his grip so the Outsider can wiggle His fingers between Corvo’s. He holds His hand with the gift he was given and builds a shrine. His bones make the altar, the deep blue cloth are of the robes he’s worn as _Royal Protector, Heretic, Father_ and his heartstrings are the wire that keeps it together. It will stay with him like Jessamine’s memory and Emily’s smile in his heart, unbreakable, unchanging.

“Emily’s rule will be a time of peace won’t it?”

“Empress Emily the Wise, Emily the Clever, will lead Dunwall into a prosperous age for the rest of her long years. Her people will love her and her reign will be remembered as a Golden Age of peace and advancement.”

“Then there will be no need for me to take action in the years to come. Soon, I’ll have to start training a new Royal Protector and then maybe it’ll give me a year, a few more, with you.”

The Outsider’s hand tightens and the warmth of a giddy feeling bubbles up. It makes Him light-headed but He cannot stop the slight grin on His face. He makes Corvo remember an idle conversation with one of his guardsmen some years ago. He had asked Corvo what kind of sight would a smiling leviathan make. Corvo recalls telling him ‘bright sharp teeth and beady black eyes.’ But now, Corvo knows the answer if he was asked again. Bright sharp teeth and beady black eyes and hope and relief and Corvo is so enamoured at the sight.

Corvo leans down just a little, just enough distance so that he can ask a very important question and have the Outsider answer by word or by action.

“May I kiss you?”

The Outsider blushes a faint pretty purple blue but doesn’t say anything so Corvo closes his eyes. It could’ve been seconds, hours before the Outsider moves up to meet his lips with His own with a pressure that steadies with time. Corvo feels his breath being taken away by the Leviathan in front of him and it makes His mark burn into the bone of his altar.

The Marked cups the Outsider’s cheek in his hand and cradles Him like a precious treasure. The Outsider sighs with a contentment when they pull apart it seems like He’s sailed so far away on warm waters and yet on His boat, Corvo is there. There’s a pulling sensation almost like drowning but He is drawn back to Corvo when he squeezes His hand as a comfort, keeps Him afloat in foreign waters.

The Outsider’s heart is filled with a heaviness so he pulls Corvo in for another kiss to lighten it. Corvo eagerly obliges him. There is whale-song in between the Outsider’s lips and Corvo can taste the salt of the sea and the void and surrenders himself. This kiss is intense unlike the simple exploration of the last. Instead, the Outsider pulls himself closer to Corvo, gangly legs climbing over Corvo’s strong thighs to straddle his lap. Corvo instinctively wraps his arms around the Leviathan even though he knows He won’t fall unless He chooses. With this hold though, Corvo pulls the Outsider closer to his chest to deepen the kiss. He nips at the purpling lip of the Outsider and sucks on His tongue and intoxicates himself on the moans escaping from the Outsider. They are both dizzy and drowning.

Corvo pulls himself away for a moment, taking in a breath of air and the sight of the Outsider slowly coming undone. The Outsider’s eyes fixate on Corvo’s kiss-bruised lips and the slickness reminds him of the night Corvo’s oily lips would’ve tasted like spice and bubbly and feels more content with this because the taste of only Corvo lingers on His tongue and He hungers.

They spend some time, the Outsider and His dearest Marked, slowly exploring the shallows and depths of each other mouths, parting for air like the first breath taken after being underwater. The dark waters splash against the shore of the land by Dunwall Tower as the two men take in each other and breathe that first breath after every part. There is a contentment resting in them when they separate for the last time.

With the moonlight against the Outsider’s back, his mussed hair and swollen shiny lips in a smile, Corvo is utterly lost, completely enthralled by Him.

The Outsider gets up from Corvo’s lap to lead Corvo to rest, never letting go of his hand. Corvo is _His_ and His Marked thinks of nothing other than following Him.

That’s how it’s always been. The Outsider offers Corvo His gifts and Corvo accepts what he’s given, never more, never less. Corvo has never begged before, never prayed to Him like his devouts do and the Outsider thinks of what Corvo would look like, kneeling at a shrine, looking up at Him and pleading with his lovely dark brown eyes and He thinks one day he might in a very different manner. Until then, He will be content with this, sitting in bed with Corvo’s head on his lap. His back is straight of course with the help of a pillow and the Outsider threads his fingers in salt and pepper hair highlighted with light honey.

Sleep comes easily like this for Corvo, he’s stayed up late enough and the Outsider’s petting soothes him greatly.

Still, he fights to stay awake just a little longer with the Outsider, blinking ever so slowly. The Outsider knows soon enough Corvo will be gone.

“Have good dreams, dear Corvo.”

With a tired smile, His Marked replies, “I don’t need to dream if you’re here with me,” before falling asleep. The Outsider slowly dissipates from this Realm back into the Void slowly lowering Corvo from his lap to the bed, a flush on his face.

 

* * *

 

Years after the Corvo’s time, a legend arises from the depths of Dunwall.

There has been sightings of two leviathans around the Isles, a dark coloured whale with black teeth and tongue and a slightly larger whale with multiple scars all over it. With them, the songs of the great Leviathans of the Void have taken on a different tone, from the lonely sorrowful groans to light ones. There’s a calm in the song, a contentment in the clicks and occasionally, another song joins in.

In dreams, the Outsider appears to those who do not seek Him but with the new addition of a masked man by His side or a crow perched on His shoulder. Those that remember have the name of this familiar stranger as Crow or Protector echoing in their mind. They remember how much calmer the Outsider becomes with his presence and they begin to leave crow feathers next to whalebone at shrines to sleep sounder in the nights.

In the Void, the Outsider looks to His Marked, His Protector, _His_ dear Corvo as the other wraps his arms around His waist and rests his chin on the God’s shoulder with a smug smirk on his face. The Outsider covers Corvo’s hands with His chilly ones and tangles His fingers in between.

“Outsider, Your followers are starting to think You’re becoming soft.”

“I’m starting to think the same can be said for you too.” He replies as He reaches back to pinch some of the squishy flesh of Corvo’s side. The husky laughter coming from Corvo still makes Him feel as unexplainably warm inside as the first time He heard it.

“It’s only because You indulge me when I learn something new.”

A portal slowly opens, soft and white, into the dreams of mortal men and women. Mask in place, Corvo walks up and turns back to his God with an outreached hand.

“Outsider.”

A pale hand reaches out and tangles His fingers with the other’s.

“My dear Corvo.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really glad to have finally completed this fill. I really enjoyed writing it!  
> I hope the original poster will be able to receive this.


End file.
